Method for setting up a telephone connection and an exchange system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for setting up a telephone connection which system comprises several exchange systems (100 and 116). A queuing list is used in the method, which list is maintained in such a manner that when no free connection is available, the operator (107) places information about the received call order in the queuing list to wait for a connection to become free. In the method, the loading of connections (108a to 108c, 114, &amp; 115) is monitored, and when the required connections (108a to 108c, 114, &amp; 115) is detected to be free, the connection (108a to 108c, 114, &amp; 115) is reserved for the use of the operator (107) and the operator (107) is sent information about the call order on the queuing list. After this, the operator can put the call through. The method makes the search for free connection automatic in congested directions and therefore the work of the operators (107) will be easier.

This application is the national phase of international applicationPCT/FI96/00288, filed May 23,1996 which designated the U.S.

The present invention relates to a method for setting up a telephoneconnection in a telephone system when the telephone system comprisesseveral exchange systems, which exchanges are connected to one or moreother exchanges, to one or more subscriber terminal equipments and towork stations of one or more operators.

The present invention also relates to an exchange system comprising anexchange, one or more operators, one or more work stations and one ormore subscriber terminal equipments with a connection to the exchange.

The telephone system comprises exchange systems including subscriberterminal equipments and one or more operators. The operator often uses aserver containing statistical data on the calls already made andinformation connected to call orders made in advance.

Any subscriber (subscriber A) can make a call order, that is, order acall in advance from a server in order to contact another subscriber(subscriber B). At the ordered time, the operator calls both subscriberA and subscriber B and after having reached them both, establishes aconnection between them. When the exchange is realized with an automaticDX 200 exchange, for example, local calls can be executed easily. Butlong-distance calls may be problematic at peak times as there are only afew connections between the exchanges when compared with the number ofsubscribers connected to the exchanges. The situation is like this atexchanges that handle telephone connections to an oil field, forexample, which exchange may include as many as millions of subscribersbut from which there are only some tens of outgoing connections. In thatcase, the operator has to attend to the setting-up of both direct andordered long-distance calls.

It is difficult to set up a call during peak time as the operator has tocheck by trying again and again at short intervals if a connection hasbecome free so that the ordered call could be put through. It is veryfrustrating to try again constantly. The operator cannot know when aconnection is free and he/she can lose many possibilities before beingsuccessful. Further, operators at different exchanges will very easilystart competing for the same connections as incoming and outgoing callsboth use the same connections.

The object of the present invention is to accomplish an exchange systemin which an operator need not try repeatedly to put a call throughwithout knowing when a free connection is available.

This is achieved with the method shown in the preamble that ischaracterized in that in the method a specified queuing list is used,which list is maintained in such a manner that when no free connectionis available, the operator places information about the received callorder in the queuing list to wait for a connection to become free; andthat in the method the loading of the connections is monitored, and whenthe required connection is detected to be free, said connection isreserved for the use of the operator and the operator is sentinformation about the call order waiting on the queuing list.

The exchange system according to the invention is characterized in thatthe exchange system comprises means for maintaining a queuing list onwhich information about the call order is placed to wait for aconnection to become free when no free connection is available; meansfor monitoring the loading of the connections and for detecting a freeconnection, means for reserving said free connection to the use of theoperator; and means for sending information to the operator about thecall order on the queuing list when a free connection is available.

Considerable advantages are achieved with the invention. The queuing forfree connections connected to the setting-up of calls becomes automaticand at the same time the competition between the operators for freeconnections will cease. In the method according to the invention, aconnection that has become free is automatically reserved for the use ofthe operator for setting up a connection. When the operator has toattend to a great number of calls in a congested situation, the methodaccording to the invention helps to set up calls in an appropriate orderwithout some subscriber being favoured unnecessarily or a call order ofsome subscriber being forgotten. The use of an ISDN bus between theexchange system and the operator work station allows high-speedtransmission.

In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail withreference to the examples according to the drawings, in which

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of one possible way of realizing atelephone system according to the invention in essential parts, and

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method for setting up a connection.

The block diagram shown in FIG. 1, the block diagram being only onesolution according to the invention, illustrates a telephone systemcomprising three exchange systems 100, 113 and 116, work stations 103and 111, one or more operators 107, 112 in the exchange systems 100 and116, a server 104 and subscriber terminal equipments 108a to 108c and110a to 110c. An exchange 101 comprises means 102 for maintaining a listof queuing and for communicating with the work station 103 of an ISDNbus (Integrated Services Digital Network) 106, for example. In thisexample, three connections 114 are drawn between exchanges 101 and 109and two connections 115 between exchanges 101 and 113. For example, LAN(Local Area Network) can function as a connection 105 between the serverand the work station.

In the solution according to the invention, a person calling from somesubscriber terminal equipment 108a to 108c has to order long-distancecalls, that is, calls requiring connections e.g. between exchanges 101to 109 from the call operator 107. The subscriber 108a to 108c can makea call order by calling the operator 107 directly or by storinginformation about the desired call order to the memory of the server 104in advance. The call order and the information often stored into thememory about it commonly include information about subscriber A andsubscriber B and the time of calling, for example. When it is time toset up the ordered call, the operator receives from the server 104 anotification and setting-up information about establishing the call.Because there are only a few connections 114 between the exchanges 101and 109 when compared with the number of long-distance calls, thepossibility to make a long-distance call generally has to waited. Incongested situations a long-distance call is required from severalsubscriber terminal equipments 108a to 108c and at the same timenotifications of long-distance calls from the server 104 arrive at thework station 103 of the operator 107. At the same time, long-distancecall orders arrive similarly at the work stations 111 of the operators112 in some other exchange system and many of them are also directed tothe exchange 101. Then the operators 107 and 112 have to know exactlywhen the connection becomes free so that a new call can be put through.In the solution according to the invention, the exchange 101 comprisesmeans 102 for monitoring the loading of the connections (108a to 108c,114 and 115) and for detecting that the required connection (108a to108c, 114 and 115) has become free. When a free connection is found, itis reserved for the use of the operator 107 and the operator 107 is sentinformation about the call order that has waited the longest time on thequeuing list. The connection is reserved for a predetermined period oftime so that the operator 107 can make the connection.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, calls are on the queuinglist in the order that they have been placed in the list, that is, thelist is of the FIFO type (First In First Out). In that case, informationis given to the operator 107 about two call orders on the queuing listand the one placed first in the list is put through first.

When the operator 107 tries to put the call through to the orderednumber and when a direct connection is not possible, the operator 107can transfer the order to queuing. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the operator 104 has a work station whose program illustrateson a screen events connected to the exchange 101 and call controlpossibilities. The operator 107 transfers the order to queuing bypressing a queuing dial. After this, the operator 107 can disconnecthimself/herself from this call and serve other subscribers 108a to 108cand notifications from the server 104. When a connection is free, themeans 102 monitoring the loading of the connections notify the operator107 of the connection being free and the connection is reserved. Thenotification is received from the exchange 101 preferably via the ISDNbus 106. If it is a personal call, the same operator that transferredthe call to queuing will receive the notification. If the call order isreceived from the server 104, the operator 107 that has been free thelongest time will receive the notification.

When the connection is ready for subscriber B, who is one of thesubscribers 110a to 110c, for example, the operator 107 contactssubscriber A who is one of the subscribers 108a to 108c. If thisconnection also has to be queued, for example, because subscriber A 108ato 108c is busy, the operator 107 cannot disconnect to serve othersubscribers, but the operator 107 has to wait for the connection tobecome free, the queuing time to end or to interrupt queuing. In allsituations queuing is stopped automatically when a predetermined timelimit is exceeded or the operator 107 interrupts queuing. The operator107 receives a notification of the interruption of queuing at his/herwork station 104. When the connection becomes free also for subscriber A108a to 108c, the operator 107 connects the subscribers to one anotherand generally disconnects from this connection.

FIG. 2 illustrates the solution according to the invention by a flowchart. The method according to the invention is realized in itspreferred form as a program that shows the operational possibilities ofthe operator 107 as windows on the screen of the work station 103, forexample. In that case, the exchange system 100 comprises means 102 forcarrying out a queuing reservation process that monitors the loading ofconnections and free connections. The actual queuing program starts fromblock 202. Before that, that is, above the broken line in the flowchart, the operator 107 carries out routine procedures that are executedmanually by the operator 107.

In block 200 the operator 107 receives a call order after which theoperator 1047 tries if the call can be put through (block 201). If afree connection is available, the call is put through and the routine ofthe flow chart ends in block 213. In a case in which the call cannot beput through directly (block 202), the queuing reservation program isstarted and the information about the order can be transferred toqueuing (block 203) or the execution of the program can be ended (block210). Then it is inquired on the screen of the work station 103 of theoperator 107 if the information about the order is to be transferred toqueuing and the operator 107 can dial either a positive or a negativeanswer, wherein the execution of the program will continue or end.Whenever the execution of the program ends (block 210) or the routineends (block 213), the operator 107 sets into a stand-by position forhandling the next call order. Queuing time is monitored in the queue andinterruptions in block 204. If the operator 107 interrupts queuing orqueuing time ends, the program notifies the operator 107 (block 214) andthe execution of the program will end. When the program continues, theprogram monitors and waits for a free connection (block 205) and itstime for setting-up in block 206. Information about the calls are on thequeuing list in the order they are placed in the list. Therefore of twocall orders on the queuing list the one placed first in the list isnotified to the operator 107 first and set up first. When it is time forthe ordered call, a connection is reserved (block 207) and the operator107 is notified (block 208). When the operator 107 has a notification ofthe call order and a reserved connection, it is checked whether the callis to be put through (block 209). Time supervision is also connected tothe reservation of the connection (block 211), and if the operator doesnot put the call through within a predetermined period of time, theconnection becomes free for other orders in block 212 and the executionof the program ends (block 210). When the operator puts the call throughwithin the reserved period, the queuing reservation process connected tothe order ends in block 210.

Although the invention is above explained with reference to the examplesaccording to the drawings, it is evident that the invention is notrestricted thereto, but it can be modified in many ways within theinventive idea disclosed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for setting up a telephone connection ina telephone system which comprises several exchange systems (100 and116), each exchange system having an exchange which is connected to atleast one other exchange, to one or more subscriber terminal equipments(108a to 108c and 110a to 110c) and to work stations (103 and 111) ofone or more operators (107 and 112), wherein a specified queuing list isprovided for storing received call orders and is maintained such thatwhen no free connection is available, the operator (107) placesinformation about a received call order in the queuing list to wait fora connection to become free;and in the method the availability ofconnections (108a to 108c, 114 and 115) is monitored, and when arequired connection (108a to 108c, 114 and 115) is detected to be free,said connection (108a to 108c, 114 and 115) is reserved for the use ofthe operator (107) and the operator (107) is sent information about thereceived call order waiting on the queuing list.
 2. A method accordingto claim 1, wherein after the operator (107) has transferred informationabout the call order to the queuing list, the operator (107) assumes astand-by position for handling a next call order.
 3. A method accordingto claim 1, wherein when the operator (107) is sent information about acall order on the queuing list, information about the call order isdeleted from the queuing list.
 4. A method according to claim 1, whereinone or more servers (104) each having a connection to one of theexchanges are used in the method;and a call order comes directly from asubscriber terminal equipment (108a to 108c) or is sent from a server(104) to which call orders have been supplied in advance.
 5. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the operator (107) is sent informationabout the call orders on the queuing list in the order the call ordershave been placed in the queuing list.
 6. A method according to claim 1,wherein the information about the received call order is maintained onthe queuing list for a predetermined queuing time.
 7. A method accordingto claim 6, wherein the operator (107) is sent a notification of theending of queuing after the predetermined queuing time has terminated.8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the operator (107) interruptsqueuing when required.
 9. A method according to claim 1, wherein aconnection is reserved for the use of the operator (107) for apredetermined reservation time.
 10. An exchange system (100) comprisingan exchange (101) having connections to at least one other exchange, oneor more operators (107), one or more work stations (103) and one or moresubscriber terminal equipments (108a to 108c) each having a connectionto the exchange (101), wherein the exchange system (100) comprises:means(102) for maintaining a queuing list on which information about a callorder is placed to wait for a connection to become free when no freeconnection is available, means (102) for monitoring the availability ofconnections (108a to 108c, 114 and 115) and for detecting a freeconnection (108a to 108c, 114 and 115); means (102) for reserving thedetected free connections (108a to 108c, 114 and 115) to the use of theoperator (107); and means (102) for sending information to the operatorabout the call order on the queuing list when the free connection (108ato 108c, 114 and 115) is available.
 11. An exchange system according toclaim 10, wherein the exchange system also comprises a server (104) towhich call orders are supplied in advance;and the call orders comedirectly from the subscriber terminal equipments (108a to 108c) to theoperator (107) or the call orders are sent from the server (104).
 12. Anexchange system (100) according to claim 10, wherein the exchange system(100) comprises means (102) for sending information about call orders tothe operator (107) in the same order that information about the callorders has been placed in the queuing list.
 13. An exchange system (100)according to claim 10, wherein the exchange system (100) comprises means(102) for deleting from the queuing list information about a call orderwhen information about the call order is sent to the operator (107). 14.An exchange system (100) according to claim 10, wherein the exchangesystem (100) comprises an ISDN bus (106) via which the exchange (101)and at least one of the work stations (103) communicate.